Super-sized electric seven seat SUV starts with single variant.

PRICING for the EQS sports utility wagon, a big brother to Mercedes’ EQE SUV, has also revealed - with indication the largest seven-seater in Benz-dom will begin sale in just one format.

The brand’s website for New Zealand suggests the model will be initially offered just in EQS 450 SUV form, with a 265kW and 800Nm total system output from electric motors on the front and rear axles. 

In that format, it starts at $196,501, which is $22,199 less than is asked for the EQS 450 sedan, which has the same drivetrain and outputs.

That four-door, booted model recently announced as an alternate to the top tier AMG EQS 53 limousine, which has been here for a year and costs $310k.

The EQS SUV is the larger alternate to the EQE SUV, whose locally-provisioned formats were shared by Mercedes Benz NZ last week. 

That car is also a seven-seater but with less interior room and takes a different route in respect to powertrain choice.

The EQE SUV spans a $139,900 rear-drive ‘300’ with 180kW/550Nm single motor, then steps up to two dual motor choices.

These are the 215kW/765Nm EQE 350 4Matic for $149,900 and the flagship 460kW/950Nm AMG EQE 53 4Matic Plus for $199,900. The latter also can outfit with a handling-enhancing Dynamic Plus Pack which costs $7400.

Mercedes still quote the outdated NEDC schedule for range estimation. 

This cites the EQS SUV as being capable of 592 kilometres driving from a 107.8kWh lithium-ion battery. The longest legged EQS SUV is the rear-drive car which has a 89kWh battery. It’s good for 539kms’ on the same scale.

At 5125 millimetres long, 1950mm wide and 1718mm tall, with a 3210mm wheelbase, the EQS SUV is 262mm longer, 10mm wider and 32mm taller than the EQE SUV, with an additional 180mm between the front and rear axle.

With all seats in place, the EQS SUV has a 195-litre luggage capacity, rising to between 645 and 880 litres with the third row stowed away, and 2100 litres with the second and third rows down.

The NZ market car is shared with Australia, where standard equipment includes 21-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels, a wireless phone charger, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a panoramic sunroof, 64-colour interior ambient lighting, and digital matrix LED headlights.

The 12.8-inch MBUX central infotainment system supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and augmented reality satellite navigation.

As standard, the EQS SUV sports rear-axle steering with a steering angle of up to 4.5 degrees, with an upgrade adding up to 10 degrees of steering angle.

The EQS SUV is the equivalent, in electric form, to the GLS sports utility wagon, which began at $172k with a 3.0-litre turbodiesel.

The electric-dedicated products sit on a common Electric Vehicle Architecture and EQS carries the same design language as other Mercedes EQ electric models; so, lots of smooth, flowing surfaces and absence of sharp edges all in the aid of aerodynamic efficiency. Wind-cheating explains the blanked-off grille and LED headlights forming one unit with a connecting light bar across the front. 

Unlike the EQS and EQE models, the doors aren't frameless units though they do feature similar flush handles. At the rear, there's another light bar, this time spanning the width of the vehicle and wrapping around to the sides. 

All versions feature 200kW DC rapid charging capability meaning top-ups from 10-80 percent take around 31 minutes.

As with the EQS and GLS, the EQS has AirMatic air suspension set-up with adaptive dampers, the settings on which can be toggled depending on the situation. In Offroad mode, the ride height can be raised by up to 25mm at speeds below 80kmh, while at 110kmh and above Comfort mode hauls the suspension down by 10mm, Sport mode dropping it by 15mm to reduce drag.

As standard, the EQS SUV features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch portrait-aspect infotainment screen. Mercedes Hyperscreen system which melds the instrument cluster, infotainment screen and another 12.3-inch passenger screen into one dashboard is restricted for the AMG flagship, recently revealed but not yet confirmed for NZ, though it would seem a likely addition.